Xophillyai Envoy-Northern Wasteland
by Maria65
Summary: Zaren and Lua are in the north and Zaren tells Lua of something Maria did three years ago, even as they investigate why the land hasn't healed in that time. Tragedy strikes though when a demon appears, taking the form of a friend and stabs into Zaren, infecting him now that Argus is gone. Can Maria and Lua save him? And what exactly does Gaia plan to do? Rated T, Lua is not mine.


Zaren hummed as Justicia relayed the message to him, arms crossed over her chest as she waited for a reply, before he locked eyes with her. "Are you sure its the north?" He asked, tone worried as his red eyes showed concern, shouldn't the land have healed by now? It had been three years since the event. Justicia nodded, orange eyes stern as her blonde hair waved gently with the wind blowing through Aura Kingdom. "That's what me and the Queen have figured out." She commented and Zaren sighed, he did NOT want to return to the north. He laid a hand over his heart and clutched the fabric, yet Justicia noticed the movement and sighed, rubbing his shoulder. 

"Maria has placed a shield over your wound, it won't react unless any demon Overlord there tries to force raw power unto you." She explained, making Zaren sigh with relief, yet he was still tense yet Justicia understood. Last time he went there, he was with Luke, Kate and Aaron a year ago so he must've been hesitant for fear of bringing up memories of the past. Justicia patted his shoulder, grabbing his attention as he looked up at her. "You best tell Lua, Maria believes Lua should know and see the place as well. Might help." Justicia said and Zaren frowned. "Why us though?" Zaren asked, annoyed and she only groaned. "Just relay the message Zaren." Justicia said, before walking off and Zaren sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Master Zaren?" Muse asked as she appeared, looking at him worried and he glanced at her, before sighing heavily. "Why me? I thought Maria wanted to keep tabs on the place by herself?" He questioned, turning around and heading to the library where Lua was. 

"Maria has been trying to figure out a cure to the land, as well as figure out how to cure you." Muse commented and Zaren flinched, remembering his reactions the past few weeks. "R-right." He said with a sigh, before Muse bit her lower lip and dismissed herself, letting Zaren do as he needed. Zaren entered the library and found her, once again, surrounded by books before he sighed and walked over to her before sitting down beside her. "Hey Lua, you got a minute?" He asked and she nodded, bookmarking her place and looking up. "What is it?" She asked and Zaren, held up a odd badge. "You and me are being sent to the North." He said, leaning back in the chair. 

"Maria thinks there's something going on up in the north that is preventing the land from being healed. It's been three years since the incident and Maria is busy with other tasks, so she's asking us to check it out if we can." He explained, shrugging in the end. "So, you free?" He asked, tilting his head a little. "Of course I am, always for you dearie." Lua stood and organized the books. "What is this 'incident' you spoke of?" She asked, cocking her head a little. Zaren sighed, rubbing the back of his head before looking around; they had several Envoy's and Eidolon's glaring at them, as well as a few staff members. 

"...I'll tell you on the way...I can't say it here." He said to her in a whisper, before standing. "I suggest bringing something warm, the north is...colder than it should be." He said, before snapping his fingers and Muse appeared. "Go let Maria know we're leaving, I'll see you both at the Warp Crystal." He said, before leaving, making some Envoy's, Eidolon's and staff members scoff; apparently it was a touchy topic. Lua followed after him, Zaren must have forgotten she could control her body temperature so she didn't get cold. As they passed a few Eidolons, Justicia handed him a large coat that he took with a nod, before looking over at Lua. 

He was about to say something before he remembered their first meeting and he smacked his forehead. "You can control your body temperature, I forgot." He commented with a groan, making Muse giggle. She disappeared to alert Maria, even as they made it to the warp crystal, then Muse reappeared. "Maria understands and I've been given a communication crystal so we can alert her should something happen." She said, holding the blue crystal up and Zaren nodded. "Alright, let's go." He said, grabbing Lua's hand and they teleported to the northernmost area. 

As their sight cleared...they were in a snowy wasteland, nothing for miles and the land felt dead, any powers of healing to land felt like it was blocked. Zaren was brought to his knees instantly by the demonic energy there. "AH!" He cried out a little, shocking the two girls. "Zaren!" They both shouted in worry, kneeling down to him. "Damn...wasn't expecting...that." Zaren hissed out through clenched teeth, glaring at the ground. A blue glow surrounded him, before giving a small flash and letting him sigh in relief as he slowly stood, rubbing his head. "You okay?" Lua asked worried and Zaren nodded, looking around. 

"Yeah, it was like I hit a wall of necromantic energy." He said and they both nodded, even as Zaren put the coat on, Muse may be able to keep him warm through her powers but the place wasn't the normal cold climate. Something dark was forcing the land to be cold, keeping it frozen and preventing it from healing. "You wanted to know about the incident?" He questioned Lua and she nodded. "Well," Zaren said, grabbing her hand gently again and slowly moving forward, keeping her close, "this is the aftermath of that 'incident'. Three years ago, Maria found a demon that was trying to plague the world as it literally fused itself with a portion of the land, this wasteland we see before us." Zaren said, sweeping his free hand out to show the snowy wasteland. 

"She couldn't remove him and he was infecting Envoy's but spreading his demonic powers through the roots of the world, grabbing anyone he could and turning them into zombies or some demon." He said with a growl, glaring at the emptiness around them. "She tried to stop him, tried to help those dear to her...but it was futile. With one Envoy saved, three more transformed and she saw no alternative." He said, before stopping to bring out a small Cube, it rippled a little and showed Lua an image of what the place looked like before. It showed a large village, darkness seeping into and out of it, swirling around like a deadly mist...before a large beam of white and blue light slammed into it and everything turned white and crumbled away before the Cube stopped showing the image. 

Zaren put it away, before looking around, eyes sorrowful. "She literally destroyed the whole area here, nothing was left except a huge hole in the planet. If you looked from space, I'm pretty sure you would've seen the planet with a huge chunk of it missing. After the event, Maria went comatose for a few months...when she suddenly recovered and used the Cube to recreate the area and try to resurrect the land." Zaren said, looking around. "She's sent energy here to try and make it hospitable again but something's blocking the healing energy she sends. She wants to atone for what happened, having killed several innocents here; husbands, women, children...all killed in a single night." Zaren said, before looking over at here. 

"A year ago, me, Luke, Kate and Aaron came here to try and figure it out but we never solved the problem." He said, laying the story before her then going quiet, letting her take all the information in. Lua looked around, her lips pressed into a line. "...I can't seem to sense anything here...it's eerily empty." She whispered softly. "It's going to be like that." Zaren commented, looking around himself before looking to the ground. "Luke couldn't sense anything either, the place was too quiet and empty. He did everything he could to try and search for something, ANYTHING! Yet nothing came up." He commented, before looking back at Lua. "He said that is was empty as well, though if you ask me something is here, hiding and its been here for awhile. It hid itself away after she destroyed the first demon connected to the land, then just stopped her powers from healing. It might be absorbing the power though, who knows." He said with a shrug, looking around...before something caught his attention. 

"What's this?" He asked himself, walking over to it and kneeling down. Before them, blooming a little looked to be some small flowers and Zaren gently caressed one of the petals. "Looks like it can't block all the power, some is seeping through trying to heal. Its slow...but it's there trying to pass whatever power is blocking its healing power." Zaren said, looking at the gold and blue petals, feeling a sense of calm looking over them. "Life always finds a way, honestly only a god could keep life at bay." Lua gazed around again, she didn't like this nothingness. It was unsettling. 

Muse appeared, as did Leonus as the air around them shifted and Zaren looked up toward the sky, seeing the mist from three years ago swirling above them and he growled...that didn't look good. "Lua, the sky." He said, grabbing her attention as she looked up, seeing the black and green mist. Suddenly Zaren's eyes widened as realization dawned on him. "Wait a minute...this mist...it's alive!" He shouted, pushing Lua back right as it struck, hitting the area before them and wilting the plants, making Zaren gasp. "That's what it's been doing! It's been draining the land of its energy and using it for its own!" He shouted, before grunting as the mist hit beside them. 

He nodded to Muse who nodded back as she sent a message to Maria and Zaren shrugged the coat off. "I can't fight with this thing on." He growled out, before grabbing his sword and getting ready. "Its nearby...it can't hide itself when its been threatened." He sneered out, before a chuckle resounded in the wasteland. _**"Your not as stupid as you both look to be."**_ The voice, that of a male with a dark, sickly-sweet tone said and Zaren shuddered, that just sounded wrong to think about. _**"Tell me, boy, why do I not sense my brethren within you?"**_ He asked and Zaren growled, looking around as he and Lua inched closer to one another. "Why should I tell you?" He asked, earning a chuckle. 

_**"Looks like I need to beat it out of you...after I deal with your girl."**_ The voice said, a sick intention behind his voice. Lua lifted a brow. "Really? You have no idea how many times I have heard that and I am still here pal, take your best shot." She held her harp close, if it wanted her dead it'd have to try very hard. Even if it did bring her down, there was still that room of hers back home she could come back in. If it had other ideas...well, it was in for a bad day if it tried that. Zaren growled, glancing around as his new powers acted up, the ghostly power pulsing from him as he tried to locate the demon. "You won't touch her." He said and saw Lua about to say something, before frowning at her. "Don't you dare." He hissed out and she rolled her eyes, staying quiet. 

_**"Hm...that's interesting."**_ The voice said and Zaren rose a brow, before seeing the power around him, the ghost like mist the swirled around him, ghost like hands seeming to wrap around him as if to protect him. His eyes were glowing as the power reacted to his anger...what was this? _**"It seems you've manifested some of the demonic power to do your bidding."**_ The demon said, before the mist came down and swirled before them, slowly making something. _**"I guess I can show myself."**_ It said before wind began to rapidly spin around them, making them grunt at the sudden force. As the mist subsided, it revealed someone who looked human...but the black skin and red cracks suggested differently. He was wearing sickly black armor that was pulsing purple as demonic energy seemed to course through the armor and a huge axe, twice its size, was on its back! "What the hell?" Zaren commented, tilting his head a little as he glared at the demon, before it looked up and grinned. 

_**"Don't you recognize this body?"**_ He questioned, yet Zaren was only left confused. _**"No?"**_ He questioned, before chuckling and skin began to replace the blackened skin. _**"Then...let me show you."**_ He said and Zaren's eyes widened as color came back to the body, revealing slightly-tanned skin, green eyes with black replacing the white and dark blue hair with some black bangs. Zaren felt his legs almost give way as the image of his best friend passed through his eyes. "N-no...Luke." He commented as Muse gasped with Leonus and Lua's eyes widened. _'That's...Luke?'_ She thought, remembering the image Muse showed her, it definitely looked like him. 

_**"Been a while since you last saw your friend, hasn't it?"**_ He commented, looking his hands over. _**"Granted his soul may be in Aura Kingdom, so to speak but Argus grabbed his looks and appearance, hoping to use it against you to get close...so...I just stole it from Argus."**_ He said, before grabbing the axe off his back and getting ready for battle. _**"Let me ask you this, boy, can you kill your friend again?"**_ He questioned and Zaren swayed, the power around his reacted to his emotions and sped toward the demon, slamming into him and making him cry out. "Luke!" Zaren shouted, the cry of his friend trying to bring him back as he slaughtered him coming to his mind. Muse held him back, before the power he had acted up and slammed into her, flinging her back a few feet. 

"Hey!" Lua cried, roughly flicking Zaren's forehead. "Don't let it get to you! It likely wants you to lose it!" She shouted, trying to get him back to his senses. "Ah, s-sorry." He commented, rubbing where she flicked him, before hearing the demon chuckle. _**"She's wiser, wiser than the last woman who travelled with you. What was her name? Kat? Katherine?"**_ He asked and Zaren growled. "It's Kate and stop with your games, show us your true form!" He demanded, getting himself ready for battle again and the demon chuckled. _**"But why? This body suits me much better."**_ He said and Zaren growled, eyes glowing red once more as the power acted up. "Then I'll force you!" He shouted, charging forward and swung, the demon blocked with his axe, grinning darkly. 

_**"I underestimated you, I figured you to hold back against your friends. Seems your more bloodthirsty than I thought."**_ He mocked and Zaren's red eyes flashed murderously. The power pulsed from him again and stabbed into the demon, making him grunt in pain. "Who are you?!" Zaren demanded, swinging and making the demon block with its own power. _**"True, I guess I should reveal my name. Its Adonis, now die!"**_ He shouted, flinging Zaren back and he grunt in pain. A healing symbol appeared around Zaren, before several music notes hit Adonis, Zaren saw it was Lua and Muse, working together to stop its attack. Leonus blew several fireballs at Adonis, making him block and Zaren charged forward, wings appeared behind him as he used a **Divine Explosion** to strengthen his **Divine Sermon** , thus protecting him from a few attacks. 

Adonis swung at him yet Zaren was quick to dodge and struck, using **Divine Thunderstrike** and rolling out of the way. A **Storm Song** hit him and Zaren thrust with his sword, hitting Adonis before the demon kicked him back, making Zaren skid a little. "Master Zaren!" Muse shouted, before Adonis charged them. Muse reacted quickly with a shield, blocking the attack and making Adonis curse. _**"You're stronger than I would like!"**_ He shouted, striking the shield again. "Tough shit pal!" Lua called, quickly casting something to help them all recover from wounds more quickly for a few minutes. 

Zaren was beside them in seconds, the power pulsing from his and tackling Adonis, even as he, himself, tackled the demon away. They separated for a few seconds, before clashing again, even as Muse kept the shield up. "I've never seen this before, could it really be a remnant of Argus's power on him?" Muse mumbled, not sure what was going on. Zaren struck Adonis again before jumping back, even as the ghostly power around him formed hands and grappled with the demon, holding the demon in place and Zaren readied himself, a green glow overcoming him. 

"DIE!" Zaren shouted, charging forward and thrusting his sword, stabbing into the demon and making him cry out in pain. Zaren looked up, the glow ceasing as the ghostly power around him died away and Adonis looked up, blood dripping down his mouth as Zaren twisted the sword further into his chest. "You will pay for using HIS body." Zaren hissed out, even as Muse lowered the shield...when suddenly, Adonis smirked. _**"I knew stopping the power here would bring you here."**_ He said and Zaren gasped, right before Adonis struck with a knife, lodging it into the wound across Zaren's heart. 

"AH!" Zaren screamed in pain, feeling the demonic energy in the blade seep into himself and break the shield over his heart. "No, Zaren!" Muse shouted and made to help him when his powers acted up again and slammed into her. It headed toward Lua as well but Leonus protected him by pushing her out of the way, stopping the ghost-like hands from hitting her. "You...bastard!" Zaren hissed out, glaring at the demon. _**"Bastard I may be...but cunning I am."**_ He said and Zaren growled, eyes flashing before he used all his might to rip the sword upward, cutting the demon in half, before he beheaded him as well, letting the body fall to the ground. 

As it did, energy exploded around them as the power holding the healing energy back rushed through. Flowers, trees and grass reappeared as the ice melted and the dark clouds covering the sun disappeared as the land was warmed up, though the chilly air remained as it was the north. Animals began to frolic around as some hospitable monsters scurried here and there, the mist died away and began just a light dusting to energy that was purified, which seeped into Zaren to try and help him. "Damn it...damn...demon…" He gasped out, falling to his knees. Lua plopped down beside Zaren locking her arms around his neck, she pressed a light kiss to his cheek and merely held him. Words could be an okay comfort and support but sometimes being held was better. "W-we need...to get to… Aura…" He didn't get to finish as his body flashed purple and he fainted, all his weight leaning against her. "Oh no!" Muse exclaimed coming over with Leonus, both looking extremely worried. "I'll transport us to Maria." Muse commented, closing her eyes and glowing blue, before they flashed and teleported away, leaving the restored land. 

[~~~~~*~~~~~] 

Maria frowned, listening to Akane and Incediana bicker in the Throne Room about what was a better way to cure a necromantic wound infused with demonic energy. _'Why do they only bicker here in the Throne Room?'_ Maria thought in exasperation, clearly annoyed as her bored, flat expression would tell anyone. Sachi was beside her laughing at the two, even as Saari tried not to snicker and Quelkulan merely shook his head, feeling sorry for his Queen. "You two done yet?" Maria asked and they glared at her. "No!" They shouted and she held her hands up in defeat. "Okay, okay, don't mind me." She said with a scoff, clearly they had no intention of stopping their argument anytime soon. 

"Sachi, why did I do to deserve this?" Maria asked, only to see the teal-haired sylph was still laughing at them. "...And you're not listening. Never mind then." She said with a sigh, looking away...before the Cube glowed blue. "Hn? Now what?" She commented, frowning as the two bickering Envoy's stopped to stare at the Cube as well. "Hm...is someone-?" Akane didn't get to finish her sentence as beam hit the area behind her, making her yelp. "Whoa! What the-Ah!" She jumped away as a fireball sped toward her, shot from Leonus as she had brought out her swords, not knowing what was happening. 

"Oh, Leonus, its you." Akane said, before a wall of demonic energy slammed into her, Incediana, Maria and the Eidolon's present, making everyone except Lua and Maria grunt in pain. "What the hell?!" Maria shouted, seeing Zaren unconscious in Lua's arms, pulsing purple and red energy. Her sight changed suddenly as they zoomed in on Zaren's wound, seeing black smoke emitting from the wound and she gasped, standing up. "What happened?" Maria asked Lua, rushing toward them as the other two Envoy's gasped. "Run in with a demon that I hope enjoys its time in the land of the dead." Lua replied trying to keep her voice even. "Now, uh...could you help me?" She nodded to Zaren in her arms. "I was never great with super strength and I reall~y don't wanna wake Zaren up." She said and Maria nodded. 

"Saari!" She shouted, making the Champion of the Slain come over and kneel down. "Take him to a different room, lock off the door. You may stay with him if you so wish Lua, I have someone I need to talk to." Maria said as the Cube lowered toward her, pulsing white and blue. A blue glow overcame Zaren, locking everything done and gently severing the bond with Muse, this had to be done very carefully. "Go!" Maria demanded of Saari, who gave a shaky nod and left, Lua following with Leonus and Muse. As they left, Akane nodded to Incediana and the two left, knowing Maria wished to be alone. 

Maria sighed and looked at the Cube, seeing a ghostly image on the surface. "You are Gaia...are you not?" She asked the image, whom nodded. _**"I'm surprised you remembered my name this time. Usually when I say my name while controlling you, you remember nothing of the event."**_ The woman voice, that belonging to Gaia, commented. "I know...but this time, I forced myself to remember. I need your help." She said and she felt energy swirl around her. _**"You wish to help the boy?"**_ She asked gently and Maria nodded, closing her eyes. "Please...help me save him, even if it means going into his soul to remove the curse, this time, I'll allow it." Maria said and felt confirmation.

 _ **"Alright...I shall help, but understand that this will take time and I must be careful. Do not rush me and do not force me to go faster. I do not wish to shatter his mind, heart and soul."**_ She said and Maria nodded, opening her gold eyes as they turned blue. "I understand...Gaia." Maria said as her hair grew a blue sheen to it, her dress transformed into something lighter and blue signs appeared around her legs and arms, even some of her chest and face as they pulsed and shined, showing those that Gaia had taken control. "...I will do what I can, I shall save him." Gaia said, controlling Maria's body and she left the Throne Room, intent on staying true to her promise.


End file.
